


Catch Mei, if you can

by Leptailurus



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Implied Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-21 19:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9562895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leptailurus/pseuds/Leptailurus
Summary: The Russian omnic crisis is won and Zarya is the nation's hero! Her friends await her at the airport, a barbecue ready to celebrate her success. Elated from the festivities, Zarya blatantly tells Mei she wants her to be her girlfriend. From thereon, a blunt, direct chase begins in which Zarya does everything in her power to remind Mei day by day that shestillwants her. Mei has no idea how to deal with Zarya's elated and unrestrained affection - she can't even tell whether it is real. One thing is for sure: Zarya is not one to give up.This fic is almost pure fluff and humor.





	

It was a sunny afternoon and everyone was waiting for a certain Russian at the airport in Gibraltar. D.va, Tracer and Mei had made little Zarya-flags and Mercy and Pharah were eyeing the gate door with their confetti bombs pointed at it for when Zarya would step out.

Winston, Jesse and Jack stood ready with streamers and Lúcio was set up to hit play on his boom box to give his own special mix of the Russian anthem. The plane from Siberia had landed only twenty minutes ago and any time now, Zarya could step out, oblivious to the ruckus her friends were going to make.

She was looking forward to seeing everyone – and that was all on her mind at the moment the doors slid open to let her step outside. Suddenly, though, she found herself showered in confetti, cheers and laughter and she looked around with much surprise, then raised her hands to shower in the falling confetti. She could not help but laugh at the display, not minding how everyone’s heads turned towards her inside the terminal, wondering why she was being celebrated.

“Oh! Look at this!” she chuckled as colorful confetti settled on her hair. “Some celebrity must have walked by just now and I just missed them!”

She hugged her welcomers warmly, each and every one. “You did not have to do that!”

Mercy laughed back. “Only the best for the hero of the Russian war against the omnics!”

“The ceremony was fantastic, luv!” Tracer added. “Katya Volskaya looked so proud of you!”

Zarya waved her hand dismissively. “That ceremony and that medal were really overdoing it. I was just doing my job!” she defended. Katya had really put her on a pedestal, even though she had insisted she did not need that. She had been fighting the omnics for her home country, not for glory.

“They had such great footage of you!” Mei said excitedly as Zarya leaned down to give her a hug. “So impressive! I think they turned a still from it into a poster, too!”

“Goodness,” Zarya laughed out. “People are going to believe this nonsense, aren’t they?”

“Well, you can’t deny that you had a significant part in finally ending the omnic revolution.”

“Just a part, though. They are acting like I did that on my own,” Zarya protested. “In any case, I guess now I am jobless, huh?” she added, shrugging.

“We have enough work for you,” Jack Morrison assured her. “And I bet Katya Volskaya will come up with something as well. She won’t be happy without her hero for long.”

Zarya grabbed her suitcase and followed her friends to the exit of the terminal, leaving a trail of confetti falling off her shoulders and head. “I told her I will not do parades!” She draped an arm around Pharah roughly and laughed: “Did you buff up, little one, like I told you to?” she said conspiratorially.

“I am older than you,” Pharah reminded her, laughing and evading the question.

“It’s so good to be back!” Zarya sighed happily, her eyes on Mei’s butt in front of her.

\---

It was good to see Zarya so elated and not even scratched from the war – she related the highlights of the last battle to her friends and the unbelievable feeling when it started to sink in that they had thwarted the revolution and that the greatest omnic crisis that Russia had ever seen was finally over.

“There was no one left to shoot… it was so weird. And suddenly so silent. Everyone was in awe.”

Of course that silence and awe had been followed by everyone tending to the injured and gathering the dead. Work on a battle field never really ended until the grass had grown again. It had not taken Katya very long to summon Zarya, get her ready for a celebration and honor her in an elaborate ceremony. Zarya was just happy she got to wear a uniform and was not forced into a dress. She did wear her honors with pride, even though she found it a little over the top. She had honestly been glad when the whole festivities had been over.

Now this was the kind of celebration was more like what she wanted – a huge table on the grass, steak on the grill and her friends all around her having fun and forgetting the serious parts of the world for the time being. Mercy was being all motherly, making sure everyone had enough to drink and Winston did his best as the grill master, wearing a giant apron with a printed suit and bow-tie on it. There was laughter and alcohol and teasing. It was worth a hundred times more than any formal festival.

Lúcio was providing the music, and everyone else was chatting away and having a good time. It was just perfect.

“So what’s new here?” Zarya asked curiously. “I’ve been away for weeks!”

“You missed D.va’s show. Like… entirely!” Lúcio provided. “She had a five-episode TV thing on gaming with special guests and all. It was amazing and really funny!”

“I have it aaaaall recorded,” Mei assured her. “We can watch it any time.”

“What else?” Zarya pushed.

“Mercy performed another miracle at the hospital,” Pharah added excitedly. “Not exactly a Genji-miracle, but damn, you should have seen the coverage that has gotten! Talking about breakthroughs and amazing new possibilities and all.”

Mercy sighed. “They always build it up so much… it’s just a giant step on top of tons of great pre-work from many doctors and scientists around the world. And they keep acting like I did it all on my own out of nowhere…!”

“Now you know how I feel,” Zarya grinned.

“Don’t be so humble, luvs!” Tracer said to Mercy and Zarya. “You’re still the ones who did it. Risk and all!”

“Right!” Pharah agreed. “You deserve your celebrations.”

“Please don’t…” Mercy replied humbly, but Zarya was already raising her glass.

“To the most amazing surgeon on the planet,” she cheered and everyone chimed in. Mercy looked a tad embarrassed, but she let her friends celebrate her, even though this barbecue was for Zarya. Zarya gave Pharah a hearty kick in the butt from under the table, shoving her in Mercy’s direction. The Egyptian sent her an annoyed look (mostly because the kick hurt), but then complied and pulled Mercy into a conversation.

‘I can’t believe she still hasn’t pulled herself together and asked Mercy out!’ Zarya mused, then looked around the table. “So!” she said decisively. “Now that I am a hero and all and no longer pre-occupied with war, I have decided that it’s about time I made you my girlfriend, Mei!”

“Wh-what?” Mei looked at her with big, shocked eyes.

“Well, you are cute and smart, I am sexy _and_ totally famous now, I don’t see why not!”

Tracer nearly doubled over with laughter, especially at the totally shocked look in Mei’s face who absolutely did not know how to respond to this. “A-Are you joking… Zarya?” the little climatologist asked meekly.

“No,” Zarya replied with a smile. “But you can say ‘yes’ another time. I’ll wait!” Her voice was cheerful and she raised her glass towards Mei and drank. Mei was still utterly confused, looking around for any help from Tracer or someone else who might have a chance of understanding what was actually going on in this moment.

She was very relieved when Zarya made a music request to Lúcio, evidently stepping out of this awkward conversation.

‘That was a weird joke, right…?’ Mei wondered. ‘Maybe she is drunk?’

\---

Zarya knocked on Mei’s door and after a moment, the little woman opened, looking up at her. “Hi, Zarya!” she greeted cheerfully. “How can I help you?”

“You said you had D.va’s show recorded?” Zarya asked. “Would you have time to watch it with me?”

“Oh…” Mei answered, looking a tad awkward. “I don’t have time right now, but I can give it to you. I’ve already seen it, so it’s fine.”

Zarya crossed her arms and smiled down at the little woman. There was a playful glint in her eye. “Hn. I think you misunderstood me. I’m not going to watch it without you. But I can wait. No hurry.”

“Oh-okay…?” Mei replied. “I- can—I’m busy until six pm. If you still have time…?”

“Six pm! Perfect. Don’t eat too much, I’ll bring us some snacks!” Zarya replied immediately, her face bright with a beaming smile.

“Okay,” Mei replied unsurely. “We could ask around who else would want to join us,” she suggested.

“No. Just you and me!” Zarya decided and made her way down the hallway with a cheerful wave. “See you for our date!”

“Date?! But I—I didn’t….?!” she stared after Zarya, utterly confused again. She had not really agreed on a date – or had she? What was happening?

\---

Mei walked into the little community room, feeling a bit awkward. She had brought the data stick with D.va’s show and was looking around for Zarya, still wondering what to make of this whole arrangement. Maybe Zarya had just tried to be funny – calling it a date because it would just be the two of them.

There were glasses, drinks and snacks on the table and an extra set of pillows, plus a single blanket. Mei walked over to the screen, plugged her device in and it quickly began loading the first episode of D.va’s TV show. She paused it when it was fully loaded and looked around for Zarya, who was nowhere in sight. So she sat down on the sofa and looked at the assortment of snacks. Mostly a huge pile of raw veggies, some chips and a plate full of cookies. It would make a nice, healthy dinner with a bit of extra sugar for taste, just as she liked it.

There was more juice and water than anyone could have consumed, too. It looked like half a party and, surprisingly, alcohol was not involved. Mei grabbed two of the pillows and put them next to herself to get comfortable, when Zarya finally appeared, carrying two bowls of dip for the vegetables and a bright smile on her face.

“Hello!” she greeted and flopped down on the sofa so close to Mei, their hips were touching. “Sorry, I nearly forgot these and who wants to eat just raw vegetables?”

“That all looks very nice,” Mei commented, meaning it honestly.

“Ah, yes! We want to be comfortable and happy and fed, right?” she said and pulled the table closer, so they could reach the food more easily. “What would you like to drink?”

“A bit of juice with water is fine,” Mei replied, holding the remote firmly in her hand while Zarya poured them both drinks and then put one of the glasses in Mei’s reach. She then picked up a plate of veggies and a dip, balancing it easily on her muscular thighs.

“Let’s get started, yes?” she suggested and Mei agreed, pressing the remote to start D.va’s show. She gingerly picked a slice of carrot and tried it with Zarya’s dip. It was pretty delicious and she soon found herself minimally addicted to the taste.

Zarya was obviously amused by D.va’s show. She did not know much about gaming, but it was made for the average viewer and therefore very entertaining with lots of explanations. “I never thought I would learn so many gaming words today. This is like an educational program!” Zarya giggled with the show’s guests and threw in the occasional “Haha, our D.va!!! Can you believe it?!”

The plate of veggies had nearly disappeared when she had finally eaten enough and spread her arm over the back rest behind Mei as she leaned back. Mei noticed it with a tinge of worry. She had seen too many movies to not draw a similarity to teenage boys trying to get closer to their girls of interest. Though Zarya was not exactly a teenage boy.

She shifted, leaning more towards the pillow and away from Zarya. It was not like this was uncomfortable or like she had anything against Zarya, she just really did not know what to make of this behavior. So she stayed a little wary.

“Are you cold, Mei?” Zarya asked kindly, seeing her so curled up against the pillow. The evening was cooling down a little, after all, and the room was not exactly made for idly hanging about in it.

“I’m--- maybe… maybe just a little,” Mei replied. It was a good excuse.

Zarya put the snacks away, grabbed the blanket and spread it over the both of them, casually tucking it in on Mei’s side. Then she returned to laughing at the show, the arm going back onto the backrest. Almost immediately, Mei felt way more cozy there. She pulled her legs up comfortably, even though that meant they were now touching Zarya again.

Zarya almost accidentally laid a hand on Mei’s knee so her legs would not slip off the sofa and just helped them stay in place, her eyes evidently all on the show. “Are we going to bulk-watch those five episodes?” she asked when the second one had ended.

“We can. I don’t mind,” Mei answered quietly. “They are fun and entertaining.” It was true. And they were not too long, either. It would be fine, even though she felt a little tired.

\---

And of course, by the end of episode five, Mei was asleep on her stack of pillows, Zarya’s arm was around her shoulders and her other hand still on Mei’s knee. She looked over when the credits were rolling, wiping a tear from all the laughter from her eye. It had been a good and entertaining show. D.va was never awkward with her guests and they had lots of fun. Mei looked cute sleeping like that – so peaceful and relaxed. Zarya quietly slipped out from under the blanket and started cleaning up, removing the dips and the leftover veggies, bottles and glasses. She tiptoed around to not wake Mei until she was finished with all the cleaning.

Then she walked over, folded the blanket over Mei so it would not drag and gently picked her up.

“Zarya… I am fine. I can walk…!” Mei protested weakly, woken by the movement.

“Don’t worry about it,” Zarya grinned and planted a gentle kiss on Mei’s forehead. “I got you.”

“No…” Mei mumbled, aware that the kiss on her forehead was crossing a boundary, making things awkward. But there was no escaping Zarya’s strong arms. She was curled up and trapped in a blanket and she assumed that struggling would just make things even more awkward. After all, Zarya was twice her size and just carrying her. She had done it with Mercy and others before.

Zarya took her little climatologist-package to Mei’s quarters, unaware of the tinge of worry in Mei’s stomach at the much larger woman entering her private chambers and putting her on the bed. She was not going to… try anything… right? Her behavior had been so strange since she had come back, Mei was a little worried she was misunderstanding a lot of things.

Zarya put her down, stepped back and very gently removed Mei’s glasses to put them on the bedside table. “Thanks, that was fun watching the show,” she commented, smiling, and then stepped away and to the door. “Good night!” she said cheerfully and left.

Mei, wrapped in a blanket that wasn’t hers and gently dumped on her own bed, looked after her, bewildered and a little amused, too. That Zarya. Acting so strange, yet so kind. It did not quite make any sense.

\---

Mei contemplated the one last apple in her hand. She wondered where all her other apples had gone. Was it Friday already? Had she forgotten to buy more? Had someone borrowed one? That was fine, but they could have told her. They knew the apples were hers. She thoughtfully cut it into wedges. There was still some juice left from yesterday and it would probably do for breakfast. Of course she could have asked Mercy for a bit of her cereal, but she didn’t feel like eating that too much. She normally did not feel like anything other than fruit and tea in the mornings.

She draped the cut wedges on a plate, snatched her tea and sat down, eating slowly, when Zarya walked in, wearing sunglasses and carrying a bunch of bags. “Oh hey! Good morning, lovely!” she greeted Mei.

‘Lovely…?’ Mei contemplated the greeting.

Zarya set the shopping bags on the table and began unpacking. “Let’s see. Cereal for Mercy…” she put it on the shelf. “Protein shakes for Pharah and me,” she put those in the fridge. “Dark bread and sausage for Reinhardt…” she put those away as well. “Ah… apples for… Mei!” she held out an apple to her – a large, juicy honey crisp apple that was sprinkled in a light red color all over. It looked criminally delicious.

“How—I what- I did not ask you to…?”

“Neither did anyone else. I guess everyone is too busy to get their own breakfast these days,” Zarya laughed. “I noticed we were low on everything.” She kept holding out the apple – evidently she had a whole bag of them, too, even though she was holding out just the one. “Ohh! I get it! Sorry!” she pulled the apple back and went to the sink to wash it. Mei looked at the few wedges of apple left on her plate, then at Zarya – feeling confused once more. Yes, she normally did eat more than one apple in the mornings, but Zarya could not know that… could she?

Before she knew what was happening, the apple was before her on a separate plate, cut into rough wedges and smelling delicious. Mei looked at Zarya with big eyes again. “Wh-why? I mean--- I can… do that myself?”

Zarya smiled. “Because I like you, of course,” she replied easily. “I can’t make you my girlfriend, if I don’t treat you right, right?”

“Zarya…” Mei said. “I don’t think this is how this works,” she said careefully. “You are very nice, but I don’t think- I mean, I am not interested in—not in that way… you understand?”

The tall Russian nodded and smiled. “Yes, I understand.” She flipped the switch on the water boiler and reached for a mug on the high shelf. 

“Okay,” Mei replied, trying to find some sense of relief that Zarya had actually understood her… except, somehow she couldn’t. Zarya had been a bit too quick and light-hearted accepting that rejection - it did not feel like this had actually gotten through to her. “Glad we cleared that up,” she added for emphasis and then tried a piece of the apple Zarya had cut up for her. It was as delicious as its exterior and its scent had promised. It beat her own apple by far.

She ate away while Zarya was putting more of the groceries away. The very second she had emptied her mug of tea, she was presented with a new one, steaming hot and smelling almost as delicious as that apple. “You’re welcome,” Zarya just smiled and put the empty grocery bags away.

Mei looked at the mug Zarya had given her – fished somewhere from the top shelf that Mei could never reach. She always took the cups from the bottom shelf herself. This one was large and read “Keep that smile going!” with a cute little smiling sun on a blue sky background. She couldn’t remember ever having seen that before. Maybe no one ever really used the top shelf mugs.

“Zarya, where did you get this mug?” she wondered, but when she turned, Zarya was gone.

\---

Mercy dried her hands on a fluffy towel and poked her head through the door. “Who’s next?” she asked, then sighed. It was needless to say that their mission had not exactly been a success. She had just patched up Reinhardt and Pharah, not to mention herself, and still there were more wounds to take care of.

Zarya gestured at Mei. “Mei first, please.”

“You look way more battered,” Mercy observed. 

“The girlfriend is always first. And she hates pain, while I am okay with it.”

“Alright, Mei, come inside.”

“I- I am not your girlfriend, Zarya,” Mei clarified as she got up.

“Right. Slip of the tongue. My bad!” Zarya acknowledged as Mei disappeared in Mercy’s office, looking very worried.

“Mercy, what am I going to do?!” she sighed. “She’s been acting like this all week… I don’t understand!”

Mercy helped Mei, who was limping just a little, onto the examination table. “Like what exactly?”

“Like… like I am her girlfriend or something. And when I tell her I am not, she just says she knows. And then she does it again!”

“Is she just trying to tease you? No offense, Mei, but you would make that pretty easy in this case. You get all confused and awkward.” She wondered whether to treat Mei’s arm or ankle first, but she decided on the ankle and carefully removed Mei’s thick boot.

“I- ow- I don’t know what to do, but tell her that she is wrong and that I am not interested! She doesn’t listen!” Mei threw her arms up releasing a snort. “She can wish all she wants, but she is imagining things. It’s just—that is not how this works! You can’t just walk up to someone and declare them your girlfriend! And it’s annoying!” It burst out of her.

Mercy raised her eyebrows at Mei’s sudden outburst. “Maybe you should tell her that with that same … resoluteness?”

Mei looked up at her. “But--- half the time she is just being really nice. How can I possibly yell at her when she is being so kind?”

“It’s your call, Mei. You treat her however you see fit.” She grabbed a bandage and an ointment and sat down by Mei’s foot to treat it.

“Just—just---!” Mei huffed.

\---

She should have known that sunflower cup would be trouble. The reason why everyone took stuff from the lower shelf was because even if she or Mercy or D.va unloaded the dishwasher, they could fit everything somewhere they could reach. Now here she stood with that cleaned sunflower cup and the lower two shelves were all already full. There was space in the top shelf, but she could not reach it.

All Zarya’s fault!

She pulled a chair over and tried to climb on top of it, feeling weirdly unstable because the chair itself was not completely level. She did not want to climb onto the counter, though – that was not a very nice thing to do and she had no clue whether it would hold her weight. So stretching as far as she could was her only way, outside of leaving the cup out for someone else to return or put it back into the dishwasher. That would just postpone her problem.

She stretched to put it back when-

“Mei! Don’t do that, you are going to fall!” How did Zarya always run into her, anyway? She did not see her around much and then out of nowhere, she'd turn up right by Mei's side. “Here, let me help you.”

Mei assumed that was fine, given that Zarya could actually reach the shelf without problems. Unfortunately, taking the cup and putting it onto the shelf for Mei was not on Zarya’s mind, apparently. Instead, she slipped an arm around Mei’s waist to stabilize her as the little woman stretched up.

“There you go,” she smiled.

“Zarya… you need to stop this,” Mei reprimanded her while putting the cup away.

“Stop what… Mei?”

Mei pointedly looked at the arm around her. “This! I’m not- we are not together and this- this is not okay!” she brought out.

“It isn’t?” Zarya replied innocently. “Oh. Okay. Got it.” She withdrew her arm, grabbed Mei by the waist and gently put her down on the floor, next to the chair, as if she could not climb down herself. Even when Mei was safely on the floor, Zarya's hands did not leave her.

“ZARYA!!! Let go!”

Zarya smiled at her, looking very intrigued. “You are sooo cute when you are angry! Please don’t ever change.”

Mei huffed out a ‘gah!’ and left the kitchen.

“I can’t wait for when you are my girlfriend!” Zarya called after her.

“YOU WISH!”

“I do~~!”

\---

“Oh, Pharah, that is too great. I am starving!” Mercy said, taking her place at the table. “That was the best idea, ever!” She grabbed herself a plate and some chopsticks and let Pharah pour her some soy sauce. “Is all of this fair game?” she asked.

“All of it. Just reach in and pick your favorites!” Pharah suggested. The plate in the center was loaded with all sorts of sushi rolls and little bowls with other goodies. Mercy hungrily dove in, picking some salmon and tuna rolls for herself – not at all concerned that not everyone was here yet and they could have waited to start. She was obviously way too hungry.

“You should try the spicy ones,” Zarya suggested, pointing at a particular set of rolls. “Very tasty. But leave some for the others, too!”

“I shall!” Mercy replied and snatched one up, even though she had not eaten the other rolls on her plate yet. Pharah slipped onto a chair and joined the food festival while the others trickled in one by one. Tracer, D.va, Lúcio, Reinhardt (who refused to use chopsticks), Winston and Torbjörn.

Torbjörn made an attempt to climb onto the empty chair next to Zarya. “Sit over there, little man, this seat is taken!". She pointed at another chair.

“Oh, okay. If you say so,” Torbjörn replied with a bewildered shrug and took another chair. Zarya - to show him she wasn't mad at him in anyway - handed him the soy sauce, an empty plate and the bowl with the wasabi. She looked at the door and tapped the table impatiently before taking another bite.

Finally, Mei arrived in the kitchen seeing the still very loaded center plate of sushi. “Oh, Fareeha! I love you for this!” She, too, was quite hungry and yet she had been too busy to follow Pharah’s call to the kitchen right away. Now she was glad that there was still a lot leftover.

“Oh… my heart!” Zarya gasped out dramatically. “She loves you, not me, Pharah.”

Mei chose to ignore her and looked around. Only one empty chair. Next to Zarya. Of course. She walked over and took it, not commenting on the fact that Zarya pulled it back for her and closer again once she was sitting on it. She did thank her properly for the soy sauce, plate and wasabi, though.

“I saved you one of these,” Zarya said and put a vegetable-filled roll onto Mei’s plate. “I thought you might like it… but so did Fareeha. I had to battle her for it, but that’s of course something I will always do for you.”

Mei rolled her eyes. Then she looked at Pharah, pleading. “Make. It. Stop. You are her friend – you must know a way.”

Pharah shrugged. “Sorry, Mei. I don’t think I know how to. I am as confused as you are.”

“It’s not Pharah’s fault,” Zarya defended her friend. “I am set on you, there is really nothing she could possibly do.”

Mei huffed and ate her roll, refusing to look at Zarya, especially when it turned out that vegetable roll _was_ really very good, just as Zarya gad claimed. Zarya silently put another one on her plate and Mei ate it without comment. “They say love goes through the stomach,” Zarya mused with a chuckle. “I do hope so." She turned to Pharah. "Were you relying on that ancient wisdom, too?”

“What, me?” Pharah replied innocently. "I have no idea what you are trying to say."

“You are such a chicken,” Zarya grinned.

“Well… I am not sure your very bold approach is so fruitful, either,” Pharah pointed out, looking at Mei.

“Oh… Mei’s going to come around… you’ll see.”

“I am _right_ here,” Mei cut in. “I can _hear_ you.”

“I was hoping you would. Can’t have you forget that I still want you.”

Mei gave a whiny little mewl. “Why me…?!”

Mercy tapped her own chin with her chopsticks, contemplating that table conversation. “As odd as Zarya’s in-your-face-crush on you is, I am much more interested whom Fareeha is trying to impress here.”

Pharah turned bright red and quickly stuffed a roll into her mouth to not be in any obligation to talk. Then she looked at Zarya. Zarya looked back at her, and Pharah realized the mistake she had made by stuffing her mouth. Her eyes went wide and she said: “Don’ shou _dare,_ Sharya!”

Zarya shrugged and looked at Mercy. “She is trying to impress you, of course, Mercy,” she blurted out.

Pharah nearly choked on her roll, turning even more red. She turned her face away and tried to finish eating without falling off her chair, a curtain of hair hiding her blushed face. Everyone at the table could not help but giggle – including Mei, because now Mercy, too, was turning bright red.

Pharah managed to swallow her roll. “Are you out of your mind, Zarya?!” she blurted out, somewhere between shocked and angry.

Zarya calmly picked up a piece of ginger with her chopsticks, then used it to indicate towards Mercy. “Am I?”

Mercy’s face color matched the salmon on her plate and she was staring at Pharah.

“Oh Mercy, I am so sorry!” Pharah rambled immediately. “I really don’t know what’s gotten into Zarya lately, but you can just forget she ever said that and we’ll _never_ talk about this again. I promise – the woman does not know what she is doing. I mean, look at how she is acting lately - don't trust her on anything! I promise, you'll never have to hear of this again and you _don't_ have to reply!”

That hasty ramble gave Mercy the moment she needed to catch herself. “A pity, really,” she managed to say, trying not to giggle. “I can’t say ‘yes’ if we don’t talk about it.”

“Wait- what?” Pharah was staring.

“Let’s compromise,” Mercy suggested with a sweet smile. “You can ask me out again – without Zarya’s help and without sushi – and I’ll just say yes.”

Pharah blinked at her, both confused and elated. “O-okay! ….” There was a quiet pause until the reality of what had just happened finally hit Pharah in the face. “Wow…!”

Mei started giggling first and then everyone else chimed in, including Mercy - and finally even Pharah.

\---

“How about this, Mei,” Zarya suggested. “Every time I do something nice for you, I get to kiss your lips?”

“ _No_!” Mei protested.

“Your cheek?”

“ _No!!!”_

Mercy rolled the dice and walked her little figure across the board. “You know, Zarya, I think this approach is really not working. You should really give up.” She really could not quite grasp how Zarya thought this would achieve anything. Mei was getting more and more annoyed, at best.

Zarya took the dice. “I can't help it! I really just want Mei to be my girlfriend. Why would I pretend otherwise?” She handed the dice to Mei personally sending her the sweetest smile. “Sorry if I am annoying. I think you’re cute and smart and beautiful. And doing things for you is making me happy. So at least let me keep doing them for you.”

Mei’s brows furrowed, half in pity, half in annoyance. “Zarya… please…”

“Come on, Mei,” Mercy cut in. “That was actually really sweet just now.”

“Fine, okay,” Mei gave in. “Your kindness is flattering, thank you.” She sighed. “But maybe you could try to at least-“

A scream disrupted Mei’s attempted request as Mercy jumped up from her chair, scrambling back against the counter. “HELP!”

“What?! Mercy?! _ARE YOU OKAY_?” Fareeha jumped up as well, ready to throw herself at whatever was threatening Mercy.

“There! ON THE FLOOR!” Mercy screeched. “It’s coming at me!!!”

Indeed. There was a tiny black spider, crawling towards the counter where Mercy was standing. Zarya burst out laughing and Pharah just looked very bewildered at the fuss her girlfriend was making over the tiny, eight-legged creature.

“I guess I’ll save you?” she wondered and moved to squish the little critter.

“No, no, wait! Don't do that – it’s not the spider’s fault,” Zarya cut in and got up.

Mercy was whimpering as the multi-eyed, fast-crawling little thing edged closer to her, the stopped, then took another few steps. Pharah was frozen in her spot, still ready to stomp on it. Zarya crouched down and let the little thing crawl onto her large hand, shutting it in with her other hand so it could not crawl away.

“There you go, buddy,” she told the spider and walked to the nearest window. Mei went and opened it for her. “You go play outside where you can’t scare Mercy.” She released the spider on the window sill and both she and Mei watched it crawl away.

“That was nice of you,” Mei commented as the spider climbed down a pipe.

“There is enough death in this world lately, right?” Zarya replied and stepped back to close the window.

Mercy was still breathing hard as she settled back on her chair, petted by a still slightly bewildered Pharah. “You are scared of spiders, ya amar?”

Mercy was pouting. “It’s --- it’s genetic, okay? You learn to be scared of spiders and it doesn’t just go away like it would, if you were taught to be scared of tea cups,” she defended herself. 

“Ah, leave her be,” Zarya said good-naturedly. “Everyone is scared of something, right?”

“Well, not of tiny animals the size of a coin…” Pharah mused. It had not even been a big spider.

Zarya raised an eyebrow. “But of large ones, am I right?” she teased.

“Uhm…” Pharah looked at the table. “It was a camel. _It spit on me_. And have you ever seen an elephant or a rhino up close? Those things can crush you _easily_.”

Zarya and Mei started giggling. “We have all been to the zoo before, Pharah,” Mei reminded her.

Mercy patted her heroic Fareeha, not chiming in with the giggling. “You are right to be respectful of so much physical strength,” she assured Pharah.

“Maybe you should be scared of Winston…” Mei suggested with a smirk.

Zarya snorted. “She was. At some point. She told me.”

“Zarya, stop it!” Pharah groaned. “I did not tell you these things to blurt them across the table.” She was starting to look really stupid in front of Mercy and that was the last thing she wanted to be.

“I got you a girlfriend last time I blurted out your secrets, remember?” Zarya replied, indicating at Mercy. She was obviously free of any feelings of guilt. “Besides, we all have fears, so? I am afraid of heights. You know that. And just like you still go to the zoo because you are braver than your fears, I still go onto the balcony. It’s fine to be scared. It makes us human.” She turned to Mercy. “It’s good to face your fears, too. Next time, let’s take a closer look at the spider.”

Mercy averted her eyes. Nobody could possibly claim she had just bravely faced her fears when that spider came at her, given how much she had been screaming. She also really did not want to take _any_ closer looks at any spiders. Pharah wondered if Mercy watching a spider run at her gave the poor woman that same feeling Pharah imagined she would have facing a charging rhino. She suddenly had every bit of understanding for Mercy’s reaction. She patted her and made an attempt to turn the conversation away from Mercy’s hysteric moment.

“What are you scared of, Mei?” she asked.

Mei seemed to shrink in her seat. “Storms…” she mumbled.

“Really now?” Mercy replied with an air of surprise. “But … you’re a climatologist!” The combination really seemed at odds with her. “I mean, I would understand if you were really worried about blizzards… given what happened to you in Antarctica – but storms?”

“Blizzards build up, they are just a lot of snow and a bit of wind and it accumulates over time. So threats from a blizzard happen kind of slowly. You have time to think about how to deal with it. But… when I was 19, I wrote a meta-analysis on the destructive and unpredictable nature of storms and their fast build-up and their danger to humans, animals, omnics and property. They are actually _really_ scary,” she said nervously. “One moment it may look like wind, the next you get slaughtered by lighting or a shattering window. The world also gets really dark, especially when the electricity goes out, and it makes it hard to react because we humans rely on our eyes so much.” There was a pause before Mei mumbled uncomfortably: “I really don’t like storms.”

“That is the most rational justification for anyone’s fear that I have ever heard,” Pharah commented.

“And from an expert no less,” Mercy added.

“It’s still _irrational_ ,” Mei admitted. “We have strong houses and lightning rods – we are prepared for this, regardless of my claims.”

“No fear is irrational,” Zarya argued. “Large animals _are_ dangerous, so is a fall from a high place and a bite from a venomous spider. And not every building holds against a strong storm. Nobody is being stupid for being scared of something potentially dangerous.”

“Thank you, Aleksandra,” Mei acknowledged her kindness.

Zarya dropped her hand and stared at Mei. “Did you just call me ‘Aleksandra’?” she smiled. “It sounds so nice when you say it. Ach! It makes me all fuzzy inside.” She turned to Mercy. “Does that mean she likes me, after all?”

 “Everyone likes you – and you know that.”

"Hrngh..." Mei groaned.

\---

It was quite an odd, yet not entirely unpleasant sight for Zarya to find Mei halfway inside a large box, her butt sticking out. A cat could not have done it better. She was too intrigued not to walk over and check for whatever Mei was trying to reach. Evidently, the box was too big to fit through the front door, which was probably why it was out here on the lawn.

Mei was reaching for a board of some sort, somewhere at the bottom of the box. She could grasp it, but evidently not get out of the box with the board it in her hand. Zarya smirked, grabbed the little woman's hips and gently pulled her and that board out together. "Need help?"

Mei's face was red - likely because of leaning head-down into the box, but maybe - hopefully - also a little because of Zarya. "I guess... thanks."

"What are you trying to do?" Zarya wondered, looking around. There were more boards, bigger and smaller ones, leaned against the nearby walls in a completely disorderly fashion. It was not quite clear how those could ever have fit into the box, even though it was quite big.

Mei sighed. "The box with my new wardrobe did not fit through the door, so the delivery company just dumped it here and left!!!" She had been looking for Reinhardt or Winston to help her, but they had not been around. Not even Pharah could be found anywhere who was also pretty strong. She had explicitely  _not_ looked for Zarya to not instigate any more of that odd behavior. But now Mei was kind of glad the strong woman was here. Until this moment, the little scientist had been willing to tackle things all on her own, but after she had gotten some of the side walls out of the giant box she had been forced to admit that she was too short to properly remove the rest. Her attempt to lean over the edge and grasp something smaller had been her last attempt at this - afterwards she would have gotten a knife and torn the box to shreds to be able to reach. That, however, would not have changed the fact that she would have had three large side boards to carry to her room, not to mention the top and botton of the ward robe and and countless smaller boards meant to become drawers and shelves. 

"How rude of them," Zarya agreed. "Good thing your strong woman is here to help!" 

"Zarya!" Mei snorted with frustration. She was not  _her_   _woman_. She wasn't anyone's woman and she knew that! It was a very conflicting moment - she needed to remind Zarya that she was not going to let those supposed 'slips of the tongue' pass, but she could also really use her help and would not do well making her walk away. Getting seriously rude was not in order - and if Mei was honest, reprimanding Zarya had never worked, anyway.

"What?" Zarya just laughed. "I  _am_ yours." She reached into the box and pulled out one of the bigger boards so easily, when Mei had been struggling so hard. Once she stood by the box with it, she looked at Mei and added: "It's not my fault you are spurning my offered heart. Doesn't make it any less _yours_."

How was anyone supposed to deal with this?! The tall Russian woman looked like she was chatting about the weather while telling her such personal things! She could not possibly be serious and yet, it was so awkward. Mei decided to go the route of ignoring the comment, even though she knew from experience that that did not help, either.

Mei grabbed a couple of smaller boards. "Let's get it inside before it starts raining." There were clouds looming in a distance after all.

"But of course!" Zarya agreed, grabbed a whole stack of boards and started carrying them to Mei's place inside of the base.

She stayed to help build the wardrobe and Mei could not deny that she could not have done it on her own. The whole process required holding pieces in place while someone else turned screws and adjusted parts. Zarya was very helpful, patient and friendly and did not try anything inappropriate. Mei appreciated the good behavior. Then she wondered how far Zarya had melted her down by this point, if she was ready to acknowledge it as  _positive_  when Zarya  _didn't_ act all weird around her!

 

\---

“Ach!” Zarya exclaimed, following it up with a Russian curse word. “How did that lever get jammed again?” She pulled hard on it, but decided that the chance it might break was just too great. She’d have to take it apart and see whether anything got into the mechanism. It would take a while.

She began looking for a screw driver, when the world around her suddenly went dark. “Huh?” She looked around, finding that the ceiling light had given up. She reached for the table lamp, but it was dead, too. Apparently the power had blown and when she looked out of the window, she noticed that it wasn’t just her room. The entire base was dark, wind lashing against the pitch-black windows.

‘The storm must have hit something. Well… it is right above--- oh no, _Mei_!!’ She abandoned her weapon and rushed out of the door to Mei’s quarters as fast as she could. How long had this storm been brewing and howling? She had been so absorbed in her work, she had not even noticed.

She knocked on Mei’s door. “Mei?!”

“Go away!” that familiar voice yelled from the inside, unstable and slightly muffled. 

"Mei!" She knocked again, only more alarmed by the sound of the other woman's voice. She realized that her own desire to be around Mei was trumped by her desire to not leave her alone with her fears - even if it was not her. "Do you need me to get someone else?"

"I am  _fine,"_ Mei yelled back just as the thunder hit, making her end her sentence with a little surprised outcry. 

“Come on, Mei! I know you’re scared. Let me come in, please?” Zarya insisted. There was no reply. Zarya pushed the door open and stumbled into the dark room. It took her a moment to adjust, but then she found Mei curled up with a blanket in the corner of her bed.

“Oh, Mei…! I should have been here sooner,” Zarya sighed sorrowfully and crawled onto the bed. A flash illuminated the room and, almost at the same time, the shattering sound of thunder made the walls rumble from right above them. Mei cried out again and curled up more, shivering.

Zarya pulled the little climatologist into her arms, or rather, the blanket-bundle that was her. “It’s okay,” she assured her and started caressing her shoulders. Mei whimpered something and let Zarya hold her, wincing with every thunder. Zarya wondered how many storms Mei had spent like this, alone and scared, or whether her work might even have forced her to brave some, despite her fears.

She tried the lamp on the bedside, but it was still dead. The blanket from their TV-evening was still on Mei’s bed, so Zarya grabbed it and made a safe little cocoon for both her and blanket-Mei, hoping to dampen the sound of the thunder to make her feel safe. 

They sat for a while in silence, just listening to the thunder. Zarya rested her chin on the little Mei-bundle, somehwere where her head was, and let her lean against her chest, holding her. It was both heart-wrenching and cute... but at least the care helped her relax a little. The thunder stopped making her twitch eventually and soon enough, the storm was mostly made of rain lashing against the window. The flash and thunder were moving on.

“It’s fading.” Zarya mumbled, still holding Mei against her. Mei nodded and pushed herself hard against Zarya’s chest. The blanket around her slipped a little, revealing her face, eyes closed and enduring. The larger woman kept caressing her for the hour it took for the lights to come back on, kissing her hair softly until Mei could relax.

“Do you want to lay down?” Zarya asked carefully and Mei shifted, stretching her legs out and curling up with her head on her pillow, but not speaking. Zarya followed the movement, pulled Mei close and kept caressing her back. She had not expected her to say anything, be it out of embarrassment or still in a state of fear, and Mei just laid there, let herself be held and caressed and protected. 

“Spokojnoj nochi,” Zarya mumbled, seeing that Mei was exhausted and getting sleepy. She reached for the light switch by Mei’s bedside and the world went dark again. But the thunder was far away now - and soon, Mei would be, too.

\---

Mei woke up under two blankets, still in her day clothes, the sun shining into the room. There was not a hint left of the storm, except for the wet ground outside. There also wasn’t a hint left of Zarya.

She dug herself out from under the blankets, half ashamed by how scared and pathetic she had been, half relieved that she had not been alone. But now she of course wondered whether she had given Zarya too much of herself. And then she found herself ungrateful for even thinking that.

She needed a change of clothes and a shower, so she went to take care of these things. Catching a glimpse of the clock, she realized she had slept in quite a bit. There was a plate of cut-up apples in the kitchen, already turning slightly brown at the edges.

“яблоки <3 Меи <3” said a note by the plate. She did not need to be able to read Cyrillic to understand at least her name in it. The hearts were a huge inidicator, too.

“Oh, Zarya…“ Mei sighed. She still did not know what to make of all this unrestrained affection. She sat down before the apples would turn even more and ate. She was thinking hard. Zarya had been really kind yesterday - both with the furniture and the storm. She had always been really, really kind. She was blatantly shoving her desire into Mei’s face, but she was always so kind. She was joking about her affection, and in between she was sweet and nice. It was the reason why it was so confusing.

She had made her wishes clear and been rejected and was still acting perfectly cheerful about it. It was illogical in the highest degree. Anyone else would have been nervous asking another person out, but Zarya had just declared it at Mei over a barbecue. Anyone else would have been disappointed or sad for being rejected, but Zarya just acted elated, confident and like she was not really bothered by it. Anyone else would maybe have been angry that they had gotten hurt, but Zarya had just acknowledged the rejection, only to then completely ignore it. Zarya made absolutely no sense. Which was also why it was impossible to even take this seriously. Zarya was playing a game, wasn’t she? She was not _actually_ harboring any feelings for Mei, she was just taking a joke a little too far. Or was she?

But if it was just a joke, why come to Mei in a storm, concerned about her fears, and just hold her? Yes, a friend would have done that, too, but like this? Sitting there for hours just holding her, then whispering a sweet good night? But who knew what Zarya had actually said in Russian the previous night. Maybe it had just been another joke. The confusion was building up in Mei with every day... was it intentional?

She managed to make it all worse with the inconsistent way she acted. One moment she was all over Mei and the next - like this morning - she was just nowhere to be found. Why had she left before morning? Why had she not stayed and blatantly abused the fact that Mei had not kicked her out of her bed? Wouldn't that have been way more in line with her approach to this so far? She could have waited for Mei to wake up and made one of her silly girlfriend jokes. Instead, she had left while Mei was still asleep, apparently cut up some apples into wedges and disappeared. 

It all made no sense. Zarya made no sense. And what would happen if she gave in? Would Zarya laugh because she had finally won with all her pushing and awkward confessions and Mei had fallen for it? Was there anything genuine about this? Would it become really awkward because Zarya would have to clarify that it had all just been an extended joke? Would she finally be embarrassed by what she had done with Mei's head?

If only she could make Zarya explain all this strange behavior to her! But there was no serious talking to Zarya about it – she would just continue on that same course, claiming she wanted Mei as her girlfriend and that nothing could stop her from saying so – repeatedly. A serious conversation seemed impossible.

“Ah, you found the apples, good,” said that very familiar voice in its very familiar Russian accent. “Are you feeling better, beautiful?” Where had she come from? Mei had not seen her all morning. Not until now. She did not even notice anymore that Zarya had called her 'beautiful'.

“Yes, I am. …. I- I don’t know how I can thank you. That was very nice of you,” Mei admitted, finishing her last wedge of apple.

Zarya came over to the table and leaned on it, her lower arms flat on the surface, her face criminally close to Mei’s. “I know how you can thank me,” she smirked. “You could finally give me a kiss.”

Mei stared at her. So finally, here it was – the kindness from last night had become a prelude for this game again.

“I deserve one,” Zarya pouted when Mei did not reply.

So what now? Tell her to stop, as always? Go back to being utterly embarrassed about how Zarya was throwing herself at her? Ignore her? All of these strategies had failed to work in the past. But she was running out of options. What should she try next?

“Fine,” Mei said and kissed Zarya on the cheek. There was a moment of surprise before the tall Russian caught herself again.

“Come on… a real one. I deserve more than that.”

“Zarya…!” Mei sighed, looking away. Give someone the little finger and they want the whole hand.

“On the lips,” Zarya suggested, sounding almost like she was begging. “Please?”

Was she being serious? Should Mei even consider giving in to that? What was this game they were playing and how could Mei get a hand on the rules – because she frankly still did not understand them.

“Okay. Just… on the lips,” Mei gave in and turned her head back. She was captured by Zarya’s mouth immediately, her lips claimed so dominantly, she nearly swept the plate off the table as she grasped the edge. “Hmph!”

Zarya scooted, closer, pushing Mei back against the chair. Mei realized it half a second before it happened: Zarya was not going to heed Mei's warning to just keep to kissing on the lips. Instead, her hand slipped under Mei’s chin, tilting her head up, and her tongue blatantly invaded Mei’s mouth. 

Mei was still grasping the edge of the table, but was otherwise immobilized by the angle at which she was held. She should have screamed, pushed, bitten or hit Zarya, but instead, she was just overwhelmed, her mind going strangely blank. She forgot everything – where she was, how she had not consented to this, and possibly her own name.

It was too. _damn. good._ to not kiss back. Some part of Mei was aware that Zarya knew exactly what she was doing – both that it was not okay to kiss someone with out consent - and that she had the skill to short-circuit Mei’s brains with her tongue. She took a whole lot of advantage of the moment of surprise, thoroughly exploring Mei’s mouth before she disengaged. 

Zarya smiled at a very red-faced Mei. “That was good,” she beamed. “We should do it again some time.” She pecked Mei on the lips on lastg time, then turned and left, leaving the small climatologist in a confused and utterly embarrassed daze.

\---

Zarya gave Mei a four-hour break. Well, not really - she would stop by wherever Mei was, using some pretense or another to say hi to her and watch her cheeks redden and her words run dry. It was adorable and amusing at the same time. Mei could not look at her anymore – over a hot kiss in the kitchen. Zarya's heart took a leap every time Mei turned her eyes away and tried to find an excuse to leave. 

She waited patiently for the right moment. Finally, she cornered the little scientist in the common room where she was picking up a movie she had watched with Mercy a few nights ago. Zarya walked up to her.

“Hey, Mei…” she said coyly.

“Uh… h-hey Zarya…” Mei hugged the movie to her chest, as if she was using it as armor. Zarya walked up to her, leaned down and slipped an arm around the small of Mei’s back, pulling her up just enough to force her onto her toes, essentially immobilizing her before claiming her lips in a kiss.

Mei’s arms and the movie were trapped between them. Mei stiffened for all of a very short moment before she started kissing Zarya back quite willingly. The taller woman enjoyed every moment of the exchange. Mei’s mouth felt warm and soft, her lips were sweet and her shy kisses adorable. Zarya played with her tongue gently, then more heatedly, enjoying the taste and texture for a long moment, before she let go and set Mei back onto her feet, big, amber eyes staring at Zarya.

“I—didn’t say--- you could…” Mei stuttered, but she could not possibly pretend she had retaliated.

“Your voice didn’t,” Zarya smiled and pecked her on the lips again. “Your mouth did.” She chuckled good-naturedly and ran a hand through Mei’s soft hair. “Anytime again, okay?”

She let go and waved as she left, enjoying the lost look on Mei’s face.

\---

Another four hours, but this time Zarya’s approach was a little different. If Mei was working on the main frame computers, so was Zarya.

"Anytime again," she said, just loud enough for Mei to hear.

When Mei was making food, so was Zarya.

"Anytime again," she repeated in that same tone.

Finally when Mei settled down to check the news on the TV, Zarya was in the same room, leafing through a magazine. Mei looked both confused and conflicted, shy glances wandering over whenever Zarya wasn’t looking.

Mei sighed and switched off the news channel, unable to concentrated with Zarya in the room. For a moment, she sat there in silence, unable to move. Zarya turned a page, just loud enough to assure Mei that she was still there at a very reachable distance. She did not repeat her offer – she did not need to. Instead, she waited a moment, then quietly closed the magazine and laid it down on the table with a soft 'thud'. She casually leaned back and looked past Mei at the window where it was slowly getting dark, her hands on her thighs, waiting.

Mei got up, still in perfect silence. A beat passed, and then another, the air filled with the tension of Mei's inner conflict. Then, finally, she took a step towards Zarya, knelt on the sofa next to her and claimed her lips in a kiss. Zarya grinned, slipped an arm around Mei’s waist and kissed her back. They continued, long and intimately, and Zarya managed to tug enough to pull Mei into her lap, purposely pinning herself with Mei’s body. This time, Zarya could not turn and just disappear – she herself had made it so.

Mei pulled back from the kiss, breathing hard. Zarya was caressing her back and sides gently, enjoying the softness and warmth of her body. “Someone has an addiction…” she mused, snatching her lips for another kiss. Mei willingly gave in, eyes closed, hands on Zarya's strong shoulders. 

When the kiss ended, Mei looked away - at the sofa, anywhere but Zarya’s green eyes. What had she done? What had gotten into her? Any time now, Zarya would laugh in her face and proclaim victory over having baited Mei right up to this point. Instead, Zarya kissed her cheek softly and ran her hands down Mei’s arms until they came to a rest on Mei’s warm fingers.

Her lips trailed to her neck, kissing. Was it possible she wanted to get even more out of this?

“No…” Mei breathed out.

“No?” Zarya repeated softly. “Not here?” She kissed her neck again, making Mei blush. Then she kissed her chin. “Here, maybe?”

“Zarya…” Mei breathed out, half-tortured. “What are you doing…?”

Zarya smiled and pulled back, then slipped her arms around Mei, holding her close and hugging her tightly, planting a firm kiss on her cheek. She released a  little chuckle against Mei’s skin. “I’m loving you, Mei. Is that so weird?”

“But… that was just—you were just messing with me, right?”

Zarya loosened her grip and looked at Mei on top of her, for once looking serious. “Was I?” she asked. “Or was I just being very honest?”

“But… Zarya… Why… didn’t you – you could have- I mean, there are other ways---“

“I knew you did not think of me that way.” She kissed Mei’s chin again for a brief moment, followed by a deep look into Mei’s eyes. “I decided to give you a glimpse of what it could be like."

And she had. She had shown her all the happiness that Mei could instill within her, she had been there for her to help with whatever, and she had done her best to take care of Mei and given her little surprises. She had saved her food she thought she might like, touched and kissed her without hesitation and used the word girlfriend purposefully. Mei had resisted, but had not been able to escape the flattery. Joy and confidence, Zarya had decided, were mich more convincing than a broken heart. And it had also given her a reason not to admit defeat and let any bad feelings take over. Now, the effort and endurance were finally paying off - in the most positive of ways.

"Will you be my girlfriend _now_ , Mei?” she asked with a confident smile.

“You are asking for real…” Mei realized, still a little shocked.

Zarya brushed a strand of her behind Mei’s ear. “Yes. I am. I’ve always been asking for real, even when it did not sound like it.”

Mei took a deep breath, then smiled and nodded. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”

A part of Zarya had expected this, but another was feeling a tinge of surprise and relief. Now all she wanted was to make sure Mei understood that this was not some game - but that she had just made Zarya the happiest person on the planet. “Really?” she asked, a bright smile on her face. “Really, really?”

“Yes!” Mei smiled, looking a little surprised herself. “Really.”

Zarya laughed out happily at that, squeezing Mei tightly and nuzzling her neck. “You said yes!” She kissed her cheek and nuzzled her neck again. "You are my girlfriend! My little polar bear!" Maybe now she was the one in disbelief. 

“I am,” Mei confirmed, giggling because the nuzzling was tickling her and Zarya's unrestrained excitement was so flattering.

“You really said yes, you gorgeous, lovely, sweet little thing!” Zarya evidently couldn’t believe it, despite all the confidence she had feigned over the past few weeks. She threw them both over onto the sofa in one exuberant, excited motion. Mei squealed as she went down, being smothered by kisses all over her face and neck. After the kissing, Zarya gave her a tight, happy hug, like she never wanted to let go. It was cute - and Mei hugged her back, happily smothered by Zarya's joy. 

Now, Mei realized, there really was no room for doubt anymore. All that Zarya had done had been unconventional, a little strange and confusing... but this joy now, that was pure and genuine.  

It took Zarya a whole long moment to convince herself to let go of the wonderful woman she had just won over. She looked at that cute, soft face, the amber eyes under those glasses that Zarya had smushed with all her hugging and kissing. She pecked her lips, smiling. “Can I tell the others? Can I tell _everyone_?”

“What now?” Mei replied, looking a tad awkward under a layer of amusement. “That all your blunt efforts actually worked out and I totally gave in?”

“Well…,” Zarya bit the side of her lip. She had not thought about it this way. "Honestly, Mei, I just want to tell everyone how  _happy_ I am!”

Mei sighed, fakely rolling her eyes. “Go ahead… It's not going to stay a secret anyway... not with you involved.” She was actually found the way Zarya just spilled out her emotions from that big, muscular body way too endearing to even want to stop her.

“Yes!!!” Zarya scrambled up and made for the door, then stopped halfway towards it, turned around and scooped Mei up in her arms.

"Hey!" Mei protested.

"Just got you, can't leave you here!" Zarya explained.

Then she carried Mei through the base, looking for anyone she could relate her news to. And of course Zarya first ran into Mercy’s office, where the blond doctor was busy kissing the heck out of Pharah. The two of them jumped apart as the door was so blatantly flung open, intruding upon their privacy.

“Zarya!” Mercy squeaked. “Don’t you knock?!”

Zarya ignored her. “Mei said yes!” she yelled out, rushed over, squeezing the little climatologist in her arms. “I have a girlfriend! The best girlfriend!”

“No, I do!" Pharah protested, slipping her arms around Mercy. "But congrats on your conquest, I guess?" 

“Thank you!” Zarya cheered and kissed them both on the cheek. Mercy and Pharah looked at each other for a confused moment, then burst out giggling.

"Mei, are you okay?" Mercy asked the slightly squeezed bundle in Zarya's arms. She could not imagine how this had happened, but if it had been another one of Zarya's overly-confident moments, Mei would probably already have protested.

Instead Mei returned a slightly embarrassed, but ultimately content smile at Mercy. "Yes..." Speaking softy, she added: "Not to belittle your relationship but... when it comes to girlfriends, I think I got the jackpot." She stretched up and kisses Zarya's chin

Zarya sent her the most lovesick puppy-look in return. "That is the best thing anyone has ever said to me!"

 

The End

 


End file.
